{noelle and i continued trying new restaurants… one of my favorites that we went to was el five, an “edible beats joint” in the highlands that justin cucci [my favorite denver chef!] opened up recently. it’s on the 5th floor of a building and has incredible views of the city. el five actually overlooks linger, another one of justin cucci’s restaurants.}

{one of my favorite buys at the farmers market [from the whole summer!]: watermelon salad with oranges, feta, and mint from the culinary indulgence booth.}

{i picked up these gems at the market…}

{…and then made that yummy little pasta dish there on the left. on the right is another tasty weeknight meal: stir-fried udon noodles with sriracha chicken, veggies, and cilantro. man, i sure love my noodles.}

{happy father’s day to my dear dad! as my brother mentioned in his father’s day card to him, this man does so much for our family and never expects anything in return. thank you so much for everything you do for us dad. we love you LOTSA!}

{so i learned from being in denver this summer that summer storms are a thing here. pretty much every afternoon or evening! the good news is they generally don’t bring a ton of rain [at least in the microclimate that i live/work in… microclimates are a thing here too, which is crazy], but they do bring some wild lightning shows, cool air, and fabulous sunsets.}

{another lovely sunset, although the pictures don’t do it justice. this was at a little thursday date night with jamie at il posto near my house!}

{i indulged in this lovely little rosé flight on the patio of il posto, and i loved that: 1.) we walked here, and 2.) we had perfect weather, with a view of the mountains on one side and a view of downtown denver on the other side. this weeknight felt like a mini vacay and was much needed after a hectic week.}

{from a trendy chinese restaurant in rino called hop alley. jamie and i shared two dishes… this one was really good, but the other one was too spicy for us. and we normally love spicy food! oh well, you win some and you lose some.}

{jamie and i were waiting at hop alley and he was looking at me and suddenly told me, “this is crazy but i can see my reflection in your eye.” i told him to take a picture, and this is that picture! look close and you’ll see him smiling back. :) #appleofmyeye}

{i don’t remember what that cocktail on the left was but it was delish. on the right, this was tasty and extremely rich: pappardelle with shishitos, shiitake, summer squash, and arugula pesto. aaaaand i’m pretty sure there was lots of browned butter involved!} ;)

i think there’s hardly a place pictured in this post that i didn’t or couldn’t walk to. you already knew this, but i kinda looooooove being a city girl, y’all. my country boy might protest, but i’d be willing to bet that he agrees that these were some pretty sweet times in the city. to be continued… ;)